


Kataang Week 2020: The Red Thread of Fate

by TheBakingQueen



Series: Kataang Week 2020 [7]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Angst, Background Kainora, Destiny, F/M, Fate, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Kataang Week, Kataang Week 2020, Red String of Fate, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-13 20:08:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29034420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBakingQueen/pseuds/TheBakingQueen
Summary: 12 years of being endgame, 12 years of being possibly the most adorable couple in TV history, and 7 days with 7 prompts for 7 oneshots for our favorite couple. Kataang Week 2020 Day 7: The Red Thread of Fate. How the Red Thread of Fate has connected Katara and Aang through their whole lives and beyond.
Relationships: Aang & Katara (Avatar), Aang/Katara (Avatar), Jinora & Kai (Avatar), Jinora/Kai (Avatar)
Series: Kataang Week 2020 [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2129925
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14





	Kataang Week 2020: The Red Thread of Fate

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Last day. :( This is going to be epic(ly sad) but I think an appropriate ending. Warning for character death (but a happy ending!) All the feels. Enjoy!

_"An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but it will never break."_

* * *

**8 BG**

"It is said," Gyatso told his young ward, "that there is a thread- a red thread that binds us to someone who we were destined to meet, regardless of time or circumstance."

"A red thread?" Aang asked.

Gyatso nodded.

"They say that the thread may be tangled or stretched, but it can never truly be broken."

The young airbender tilted his head at his mentor.

"Do you know who you're tied to, Gyatso?"

The monk smiled sadly at the boy.

"Yes, I do. Alas, our time passed long ago. However, here's my advice for you."

Gyatso kneeled down to Aang's level.

"When you find that very special person that the red thread binds you to, you need to hold tight and never let go."

"But I wanna be a monk like you, Gyatso!"

He shook his head.

"Being a monk means very limited love, Aang. And you have a lot of love to share, so you need to find someone who gives you all that in return and more. You may not understand now, but you will, one day."

* * *

**91 AG**

"You know, they say that there's a red thread."

"A red thread?" little Katara asked.

Her mother nodded.

"A very special red thread for _everyone_ that connects them to their soulmate- people that were meant to meet, no matter the time or place. The red string may tangle or stretch, but it will never break."

"Soulmates? Like you and Daddy?"

Kya nodded, smiling at the thought of her husband.

"One day, you, little penguin, are going to find that special someone who will be _your_ soulmate, and you'll love them so much you won't know what to do."

Katara shook her head, giggling.

"Boys are icky! I'll just stay with you, and Dad, and Sokka forever!"

Kya rolled her eyes and hugged Katara tight, giving her a kiss on the top of her head.

"You'll understand one day, penguin," she whispered.

"One day."

* * *

**Between The Avatar Returns and The Southern Air Temple**

Aang lied on Appa's back, staring up at the night sky deep in thought.

The trio had just left the Southern Water Tribe, headed to the North Pole, and to be honest, Aang was having some difficulty processing the events of the last few days.

"Am I really the last airbender, Appa?" he whispered.

Appa growled lowly, expressing his disagreement since _he too_ was an airbender.

"Right," Aang chuckled.

"Sorry, buddy. Last human airbender then?"

Appa remained quiet.

"If I am, then... they're all gone, hmm? Gyatso and the monks and all my friends..."

Aang heard a quiet grunt from the saddle, diverting his attention to the one who had gotten him out of the iceberg.

"She really is something. I thought we were dead and that an angel had woken me up."

"Although, I suppose it's not too far from the truth, huh? Leaving her tribe to help a guy she just met? And what are the chances we would meet?"

Aang suddenly yawned.

"I suppose that's a sign for too much philosophical talk in one day," he murmured sleepily, airbending himself to the saddle and lying down.

"Good night, Appa."

As he fell asleep, Gyatso's forgotten words from a few years ago rang softly in his ear.

" _A_ _red thread binds us to someone who we were destined to meet, regardless of time or circumstance..."_

* * *

Katara tossed and turned in the saddle, unable to shake the feeling inside.

 _"_ Aang is the Avatar. You both found him for a reason. Now your destinies are intertwined with his," Gran Gran had said before they left.

"What were the chances?" she whispered into the wind.

"What were the chances that we would have met? That he would've gotten trapped in that iceberg, that 100 years would've passed before someone found him, that we would've gotten lost fishing and Sokka would've made me mad enough to waterbend the iceberg open?"

Suddenly, her mother's words from a few years ago came back to her.

" _There's a_ _very special red thread for everyone that connects them to their soulmate- people that were meant to meet, no matter the time or place_."

Katara turned over and stared at the young boy sleeping on the other side of the saddle.

" _Is it possible that... that this was fate? That we were destined to meet?"_

She slumped her head onto her pillow, buried in the depths of her own mind.

 _"Is it possible that we could be..._ _soulmates_?"

* * *

**The Fortuneteller**

Katara watched in awe as Aang airbended the volcano's lava back, refusing to let it burn down the village.

"Man, sometimes I forget what a powerful bender that kid is," Sokka said next to her.

Katara's head snapped back to look at Sokka as Aunt Wu's words came back to her.

_"I feel a great romance for you. The man you are going to marry. I can see that he's a very powerful bender."_

"Wait, what did you say?"

"Nothing, just that Aang is one powerful bender."

Katara's eyes widened. The random chance that they had met, the instant connection she felt with him, it all was coming together.

"I suppose he is," she murmured.

* * *

**Cave of the Two Lovers**

"Yeah," Aang awkwardly laughed. "I definitely wouldn't want to kiss you."

Katara drew her head back, insulted.

" _Well!_ I didn't realize it was such a _horrible_ option! I'm sorry I suggested it!"

Aang's eyes widened, realizing his mistake.

"No! No! I mean... if there was a choice between kissing you and _dying_..."

"UGH!"

"What? I'm saying I'd rather kiss you than die. That's a compliment!"

"Well, I'm not sure _which_ I'd rather do!" Katara said as she stormed off.

Aang groaned, knocking his head against the wall.

Even if there had been a red string before, he was positive he had just cut it into a million pieces.

* * *

Katara sat in the back of the saddle, gazing at the villages below as they headed to Omashu.

She tentatively touched her lips.

They had kissed. _They_ had _kissed._

And she hadn't been very opposed, having been the one to suggest it. In fact, she was more offended he didn't want to kiss her at first.

She darted an adoring look to her brother and Aang, engaged in a very intense game of Water-Earth-Fire-Air, the younger of the two cheering as he won the third game in a row.

She snapped out of it, shaking her head to rid herself of those thoughts.

Even if they were soulmates, even if she was enjoying the thought of it, there was a war going on. People were dying every day.

She sighed sadly, turning back to the scene below them.

They had more important things than some silly potential romance.

* * *

**The Crossroads of Destiny**

"No!" Katara shouted, seeing the lightning hit Aang's back, Azula's fingertip still smoking.

Quickly wiping away her tears, she brought forth a surge of water to get to him as he fell.

"You've got to get out of here! I'll hold them off as long as I can!" Iroh shouted.

Katara barely heard him, trying to keep it together with Aang's lifeless body in her arms as she fled the scene, clutching the airbender tightly.

She got him onto Appa, turned him on his back, gasping when she saw the harsh mark.

Katara bended the Spirit Water out of her vial and held it over Aang's back, trying to heal him as tears streamed down her face.

" _It can't be over, Aang._ We _can't be over. The world will never be at peace if this is how you die._ I _will never be at peace if this is how you die._ Please, _I-_ " she thought to herself.

The glowing stopped. But Aang still wasn't breathing.

" _I love you, Aang. I can't do this without you._ "

Katara lets out a choked sob.

_"But it wasn't enough._ _"_

Suddenly, she sees his arrows flash and hears a quiet groan.

She sobs once more, this time from relief rather than pain, holding him closer as he gave her a small smile.

"I'm okay, Katara," he whispered into her ear.

Then quieter, so quiet she wasn't sure he actually said it, he murmured.

"Nothing, not even death, can break our red string of fate."

* * *

**The Day of Black Sun**

Aang sighed as he took off on his glider, ready to face the Firelord.

It took every ounce of his self-control to not glance back at Katara, whom he had just kissed.

"We have the red thread, remember?" he told himself.

"It can't _ever_ break. We've overcome so much in the last few months, including death itself. Facing Ozai will be nothing compared to that."

* * *

Katara tentatively touched her lips as she saw Aang fly off on his glider.

"He'll be okay," she whispered to herself.

"He's come so far, and done so much."

She blushed, thinking back to their kiss.

"He'll end this war, and then we'll be able to take our sweet time with all of the feelings and stuff."

"After all, the red thread of fate may tangle or stretch, but will never be broken."

"Katara! What are you doing? The subs are ready to submerge!" she heard Sokka shout behind her, snapping her out of it.

"What? Oh, right! I'm on it."

* * *

**The Ember Island Players**

Aang groaned as Katara stormed off the balcony.

"I should not have done that. I should _not_ have done that," he murmured.

 _"I mean, she_ told _me she was confused and what do I do?_ I kiss her! _I basically assaulted the girl of my dreams and I wouldn't blame her if she never wanted to speak to me again."_

He started to make his way inside, cautiously looking around him to make sure there wasn't an irate waterbender hiding with an octopus water whip.

 _"If red threads truly can't break, then ours is very,_ very, _tangled. Possibly beyond repair."_

* * *

Katara touched her lips.

Again, Aang had kissed her.

Again, she wasn't sure if she liked it.

 _Again_ , she was left confused while Aang seemed to have all the answers in the world.

" _I mean, I- there's a war going on! We can't afford to have distractions, right? We can't afford to be together until we end this. I can't afford to think about this until we end it without getting sidetracked again."_

She groaned.

 _"If we truly have a red thread that can't break, then it is_ extremely _tangled._ _"_

_"I'm making the correct choice, the only choice... right?"_

* * *

**Sozin's Comet, Part 4**

Katara sighed happily, shaking her head at Sokka's antics as she walked outside to join Aang on the balcony.

They had done it.

The war was over, and while the world was far from healed, they had a little break for the first time in a while.

She watched him, more peaceful and content than she had seen him since the first time they went penguin sledding.

Aang turned around, hearing and feeling Katara's footsteps.

" _Spirits, she's beautiful."_

He smiled at her as she put a hand on his shoulder and they hugged.

The war was over, and they both could relax. And maybe, just maybe, she wasn't feeling confused anymore.

Katara faced him, gazing into Aang's eyes as his heart rate went through the roof.

" _Could this be-"_

He never had the chance to finish his thought as Katara passionately kissed him.

He sighed, melting into her embrace.

They both parted, neither of them needing to say anything and sat together, watching the sunset and thinking the exact same thing.

" _There is a red thread of fate between everyone, connecting them to their soulmate, who they were destined to meet. And my soulmate is sitting right next to me. And I couldn't be happier."_

* * *

**July 19th, 103 AG**

Aang gasped as he saw Katara, his love, his fiance, his _wife_ in a couple minutes, walk down the aisle in a heavenly dress, its cool palette and intricate embroidery representing her culture while the loose fabric, gold accents, and open back displaying her betrothal tattoo proudly representing his.

 _Their wedding_.

It was absolutely perfect.

Sure it had taken a bunch of pulled strings and Avatar orders to get the next two weeks off for their honeymoon, but all the planning, stress, and preparation had been worth it to get to this point.

He held her small hands in his as Hakoda gave the opening remarks.

"You look beautiful," he whispered, rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand.

"Not too bad yourself, Avatar," she murmured back, eyes practically undressing him right there on the stage.

"It is said," Hakoda announced loudly, "that there is a red string of fate binding two people, soulmates, who were destined to meet, regardless of time or circumstance. Considering one of this couple had to be frozen for nearly 100 years in order for them to have met, I think it's safe to say that there is a metaphorical red string tying them together."

A few quiet laughs incited in the few guests who knew just how much of a soap opera it had been to get the two together.

"As is Air Nomad tradition, today we make that red string into a physical expression of it. He held out 3 red strings, one light, one bright, the other a darker maroon."

"This first thread is for the first tenet of a marriage," he held out the darkest string.

"Trust. Trust is the base of any relationship as it is the base of these three strings. You must trust your partner to do the right thing for both you and and your relationship."

Hakoda tied the first string around their intertwined ring fingers.

"The next string is for communication. Communication is vital for a marriage to work. Removing communication removes the top tenet as well, leaving trust which alone cannot create a successful marriage. You must communicate with your partner and work through problems that may arise."

Hakoda tied the second string, the lighter red, onto their fingers.

"The final tenet is love. Love is all a marriage seems to be on the surface and can be stretched the most. However, take it away and it will reveal fraying strings underneath it. While I have no doubt in these two's love for one another, they must remember to keep loving each other, no matter their frustrations with the world or one another."

He tied the last string.

"All three tenets together are powerful, but removing one or allowing it to fray can be the breaking point of a marriage. You must keep these threads strong, so that your own connecting the two of you may do the same."

"Now, on to the Southern Water Tribe traditions..."

* * *

**July 19th - 20th, 153 AG**

Aang chuckled, hugging his naked wife tight.

"What a party..." he murmured into her hair, kissing the top of her head.

She giggled.

"Tell me about it. Our 50th anniversary. Spirits, we're old."

Aang's eyes narrowed.

"We're not _that_ old."

"Old enough to be senior citizens Mr. 166 years old."

"No, no, no, love. 166 years _young_."

Katara rolled her eyes, smiling as she gave him a kiss.

"C'mon, it's getting late. We should be going to bed."

Aang smirked, spooning her.

"Isn't that what we just did? I mean we are in bed..."

Katara scoffed.

"You're incorrigible."

She yawned, prompting Aang to yawn too as he shook his head and gently kissed her shoulder.

"I love you, my Forever Girl," he whispered, feeling the energy drain out of him.

It was almost time.

" _Please, spirits, just a little longer,"_ he begged.

"Love you, too, Aang."

"Thanks for penguin sledding with me, all those years ago."

Katara smiled, turning over to be held in his arms.

"It was my pleasure. Now seriously, sleep!"

_The Next Morning_

Katara woke up and immediately sensed something was wrong as light poured through the windows.

 _"Aang's not awake yet,_ " she thought as she shoved his cool arm off of her.

" _Wait... cool arm?"_

Katara frowned. As a firebender, Aang always generated heat to regulate his surrounding temperature, and summer nights on Air Temple Island were unusually cool.

She put her ear to his chest, as she usually did to lull herself to sleep, and heard nothing.

Katara began to panic.

 _"It's probably nothing. I just can't hear it? He's fine, right?_ "

She took his limp arm in her hand, feeling, begging, for a pulse.

She gulped.

Nothing.

"Aang?" she said.

"Aang?!"

"Aang, wake up! This isn't funny."

Still nothing.

No one, not even the Avatar, could beat death.

She let out a choked sob, clutching his torso.

"No! No!"

_"He was fine last night! This can't be happening. This can't be happening!"_

But it was.

" _Spirits, the last thing I said to him was a snappy reply to sleep! I should've told him how much I loved him or how much he meant to me or- spirits. He can't be gone. He can't be gone!"_

She sobbed uncontrollably, not letting go of his body, his corpse.

"You called me your Forever Girl!" she yelled at the ceiling. "You said that we'd grow old together, but you said it yourself last night, we aren't old! You lied, Aang, _you lied!_ "

The Avatar, her husband, her love, her best friend, her _world_ for the last 54 years, was dead.

 _"Mom was_ wrong."

 _"Our red string of fate has been_ _broken_."

* * *

**September, 194 AG**

A baby's sharp cry rang through the delivery room as a tired Jinora sighed heavily in relief, holding her hands out for Katara to give her the baby.

Katara smiled sadly, walking over to Jinora's side and giving the side of her head a kiss.

"I'm tired. I am an old lady after all. I'm going to take a nap in the other room."

Katara laid down in bed, staring at the ceiling.

"My third great-grandchild," she whispered, feeling a sudden wave of exhaustion. "Just as Aunt Wu predicted all those years ago..."

She thought of the date, her death date, before smiling in realization.

"The day we met, all those years ago."

She closed her eyes, and opened them after a few minutes, gasping when she did.

There was her love, blue-tinted as a spirit, over her, taking her hands in his.

It was then she realized she too was a spirit, the lines between her aged body and her younger, more vivacious spirit becoming more distinct as they separated.

"Aang," she whispered as he held her, almost free from the physical world entirely.

"I missed you, my Forever Girl," he murmured hoarsely.

"But now we'll be together truly forever."

Katara smiled, teary-eyed as she left her body and joined her family, her husband, her brother, her reunited parents, Toph, Zuko, Suki, even the baby she had lost all those years ago.

It was then she realized that her red string had never truly broken, just stretched through the dimensions.

But now, they would be forever connected, and together for eternity.

* * *

Jinora let out a sob, clutching her newborn child tight.

"Katara," she whispered.

Kai kissed the top of her head, holding her.

"Of course."


End file.
